Vettel hopes that Aston Martin will carry F1 momentum after a “rough start”

The four-time world champion Vettel teamed up with Aston Martin over the winter after leaving Ferrari, but was unable to collect any points for the team in his first four appearances.

A big breakthrough came in Monaco when he finished fifth, but Vettel showed his best performance so far for the team by fighting his way from eleventh on the grid to second in Baku on Sunday.

Vettel was able to lead the race after a long first stint on the soft tires, allowing him to overtake two cars before battling past Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly on the two restarts, giving him P2 at the checkered flag.

Vettel admitted after the race that although he had felt strong through practice and qualifying, he never expected to get on the podium.

“I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectations,” said Vettel. “I knew I felt good all weekend so I knew we could score a few points, but I wasn’t expecting second place and the race was really strong.

“Of course I am very happy with P2 and [for] the team, I think it’s great for us. We had a very difficult start to the season. We expected a lot more after such a strong year the team had last year.

“Can’t wait to come back to have a few drinks with the boys.”

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Under its previous Racing Point disguise, the team had fought regularly in the front midfield until 2020 and clinched a race win in Sakhir, only to cause the 2021 downforce cuts to lose the order.

Vettel’s result almost doubled Aston Martin’s points for the season so far, but was not enough to slip behind AlphaTauri in the battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship.

P2 marked Vettel’s best result since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix and achieved his best result in Baku from the inaugural race in 2016.

Vettel said he had more fun fighting for positions higher up as he felt the team had a great opportunity as he gradually rose through the field.

“It’s always nice when you join a new team and achieve good results,” said Vettel. “I sat here on Thursday and said I wanted to win and I enjoyed the race because I was getting closer and closer to places that I enjoy more and more.

“When I was P4 I knew of course that these were good points for the team and for me, but as soon as we were on the podium I really thought we could have our say if something happened.

“I think I felt very comfortable in the car all weekend, which certainly doesn’t hurt, so hopefully we can take that momentum with us into the next events.

“France will be a normal track so we’ll see where we stand but hopefully we can fight for points a little more regularly.”

Vettel announced that he felt in such good shape that he decided not to get out of his car while waiting for the red flag.

“I stayed in the car, I wanted to stay in the zone and not distract myself to be ready,” said Vettel.

“I felt like we did our best today, of course. It’s very comfortable in my car – and I’m one of the few drivers who don’t pee in the car, so I can stay in there longer!”